United States Teacher Education

AACTE Weekly News Briefs | September 2, 2009
. . . delivered to your inbox so you can enjoy up-to-date news on colleges of education, teaching and the classroom, legislation, STEM teacher issues, grants, and upcoming events. Please click on linked headlines for full story.

AACTE ANNOUNCEMENTS

AACTE Submits Comments on the Race to the Top Fund
AACTE submitted comments last week to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) on its proposed priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria for the Race to the Top Fund. ED will review all of the public's comments and plans to release an application for the funding this fall.

Register for AACTE's Web Conference on Teacher Residencies
September 15-17 – Lessons From Practice in Teacher Education: Teacher Residency Models
Join thought leaders and successful teacher residency program developers as they share their motivations and lessons. Education school deans and their school district and community-based partners will discuss roles, pitfalls, and essential elements of residency programs that prepare teachers for challenging schools. Model profiles, how-to steps, "dos and don'ts," and funding sources will help you on your way.

Early Bird Registration Open for 62nd Annual Meeting & Exhibits
Come to Atlanta for AACTE's 2010 Annual Meeting & Exhibits! Register by October 30 and save $70.

Check Out AACTE's Latest Online Enhancements!
Keep up to the minute with AACTE on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Access the new Media Café tab on the AACTE home page for direct access to new media including video, PowerPoint, podcasts, and traditional media such as Briefs, the Journal of Teacher Education, the Bookstore, free print-on-demand documents, and more.

NATIONAL NEWS

Rural Areas Perceive Policy Tilt
From Education Week
Rural school advocates say the federal priorities emerging under U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan – a former chief executive officer of the 408,000-student Chicago public school system – favor education improvement ideas that are best suited to urban settings. Initiatives such as the Race to the Top Fund competition fail to recognize the distinctive problems facing rural districts, which serve some 13 million students, or about one-quarter of the nation's public school enrollment, according to the Rural School and Community Trust.

Learning Curve: Necessary Roughness?
From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan outlined an ambitious goal Wednesday in a conference call with the press: Revitalize the nation's 5,000 worst schools, those he describes as the "bottom of the bottom." His aggressive blueprint builds on a baseline premise: It's the leaders and teachers in each school who can make the difference in student achievement, even when those kids come from homes without hot breakfasts, books or PTA-going parents.

Obama Education Views Can Sway Public, Poll Says
From Education Week
A popular president's strong stances on education issues can shift the public perception of those issues, according to a new national survey released today by the journal Education Next and the Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard University. The national survey, conducted earlier this year, found that knowing President Barack Obama's opinion on education topics gave a boost to those who said they supported particular goals.

PDK Poll: Public Supports Obama's Education Agenda, Weary of NCLB
From PRNewswire
Whether the issue is expanding charter schools or implementing merit pay for teachers, Americans appear to agree with President Barack Obama's plans for education reform, according to the 2009 annual PDK/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools. Americans continue to support annual testing of students in grades three through eight by a two-to-one margin, and they favor using a single national test rather than letting each state use its own.

What Are the Best Methods for School Improvement?
From the National Journal
Education insiders discuss the Obama administration's goal of turning around the nation's 5,000 lowest-performing schools over the next five years.

As Nation's Schools Open, Obama Hails Black Colleges
From the Los Angeles Times
President Obama released a special proclamation Monday saluting the country's historically black universities and colleges. He proclaimed the entire week National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week.

A Survival Guide for New Teachers of Color
From The Nation
There are several reasons why almost 90 percent of teachers are white in a country where 40 percent of students are minorities. People of color are more likely to fail the entrance and exit exams for teacher education programs; older, white teachers are sometimes more comfortable mentoring other white teachers than a young teacher of color; teachers of color disproportionately teach the most difficult student populations. For those of you that do make it, here is advice that will help you survive and thrive during those first years.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY

Amid Hiring Freeze, Principals Leave Jobs Empty
From The New York Times
Less than two weeks before the start of school, about 1,800 teaching jobs in New York City remain open as principals appear to be resisting orders to fill vacancies with teachers whose previous positions were eliminated. The Education Department enacted a hiring freeze in the spring, requiring principals with openings to hire teachers who are already on the city's payroll but who have no permanent position.

Report: Teachers Program Effective
From The Monroe News-Star (LA)
New teachers certified by the University of Louisiana at Monroe's master of arts in teaching program are at least as effective as experienced teachers, according to a recently released state report. The study, titled "Value Added Assessment of Teacher Preparation in Louisiana" and funded by the Louisiana Board of Regents and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, analyzed standardized test scores of fourth-through-ninth-grade students for the academic years 2005-06 and 2007-08 and teacher and curriculum databases.

Editorial: Effective Teachers in the Classroom
From The Grand Rapids Press
The Michigan Board of Education is considering a proposal that would expedite teacher certification for professionals wanting a career change. The idea has value, particularly in certain study areas. But teacher colleges have raised some legitimate concerns that deserve more discussion before the measure, as written, is voted on.

Vote Could Open 250 L.A. Schools to Outside Operators
From the Los Angeles Times
In a startling acknowledgment that the Los Angeles school system cannot improve enough schools on its own, the city Board of Education approved a plan Tuesday that could turn over 250 campuses – including 50 new multimillion-dollar facilities – to charter groups and other outside operators.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

October 6 to Be Second Closing Date for TQP Grant Competition
The U.S. Department of Education has announced a second closing date for the Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grant program competition: October 6, 2009. This date was set up to accommodate applicants affected by the technical amendments that Congress passed in July. Two amendments impacted the TQP grant program – extending the 12-month teacher residency program to 18 months and allowing 5th-year initial licensing programs to participate in the prebaccalaureate activity. However, all eligible partnerships may apply in this round of the competition.

Fulbright Applications Available for 2010-2011
October 15, 2009: Application deadline for Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange Program
January 15, 2010: Application deadline for Distinguished Fulbright Awards in Teaching
Visit www.fulbrightteacherexchange.org for application forms and more information on both programs.

GAO Study: Better Coordination Needed to Support Preparation of Teachers of Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners
The Government Accountability Office recently released a study on federal education offices' support of teacher preparation for instructing students with disabilities and English language learners. The study found that while multiple federal offices support teacher preparation in this area, better systematic department-wide coordination could enhance this assistance.

GAO Study: Better Coordination Needed to Support Teacher Quality
The Government Accountability Office recently released a study on the quality of coordination among federal offices to support teacher quality. The study found that while multiple federal offices support teacher-quality initiatives, there is little coordination among the offices.

Annual TASH Conference and TASH TECH Workshops
November 18-21, Pittsburgh, PA
The TASH conference is the largest conference in the United States focusing on strategies for achieving full inclusion for people with disabilities. The TASH TECH workshops November 18 will address topics such as tools to support inclusive education, service-learning, and postsecondary education.

Going to College: A Resource for Teens With Disabilities
Going to College is a web resource focused on college life for students with a disability. A Teacher's Toolbox also is included for each section. Going to College site directly or through the August newsletter of Think College .




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